


Sentimental Feelings

by orpikjam44



Series: Come Home [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Angst, Detroit Red Wings, Gay, Gay Male Character, Hockey, M/M, NHL RPF, Pining, San Jose Sharks, Sentimental
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 14:08:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1120774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orpikjam44/pseuds/orpikjam44
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brad tries to fight his feelings, but they keep coming back and taking over. He knows what he's doing is probably not the best idea, but he's doing it anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sentimental Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> This technically wouldn't fit in with the schedule the Sharks had this year, so we'll just leave this up to a suspension of disbelief.

Why is he doing it? Why is he looking up flights to Detroit? Right after Christmas, of course. Not on, because that’s family time. And he _has_ a family.

“What are you looking for, hon? You look upset...” Melissa is standing in the doorway, a look of concern on her face.

“I wanna visit my old teammate in Detroit,” Brad says, giving her a smile. He hadn’t realized the deep scowl he was giving the computer screen.

“Nik?”

The smile falters. “Nik.”

“When?”

Brad stares down at his socked feet, wiggling his toes. “After Christmas. Just for a day. I’ll leave early, come back early.” He bites his lower lip. “He doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with, so I thought since he’s my best friend, I--”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to explain it. Do what you want, hon.” She’s down the hallway at this point. He can’t tell if she’s upset, he never can when it comes to visiting Nik. She doesn’t protest. Never. But there’s always some weird tension after he brings it up.

Brad shifts in his bed, propping his laptop on his leg, back to scowling at the flights. He used to do it all the time when he was playing in Detroit; hopping flights back to San Jose to spend even just a day with his wife and the kids.

Which was... a lot more painful than it should have been, because there was someone that he was then leaving alone back in Detroit by doing that.

“Dammit, Nik.” He picks up his phone, selecting Nik’s number from his address book. The phone rings. Barely even once.

“Hi, Stuie.”

He can’t help but chuckle. “Hi, Nik.” He runs his hands through his hair, which is still messy from sleep. “You wanna give me a ride?”

There’s a pause. “What are you talking about, Stuie...”

“Nik,” Brad laughs, smoothing his shirt out over his belly. He can’t stop smiling. His cheeks hurt from it already. Dammit, Nik. “A ride. From the airport. You’re coming to get me at...” He tapped his computer out of screen saver mode. “Ten in the morning? Day after Christmas?”

There’s another pause.

He arches his eyebrows, checking the phone to make sure he didn’t lose the call. He puts it back to his ear. “Nik?”

“I’ll be there at nine.”

“You really don’t have to be, Nik.”

“Just in case.”

“It’s more likely the flight will be later than sooner. You... know that.” He slides down the fluffy mound of pillows he was leaning against, staring up at the ceiling. “So are you up for it?”

“How long do I get y--” He clears his throat and Brad is sure he can hear the clinking sounds of a bowl and spoon in the background.

“Are you eating oatmeal?” he asks, interjecting before Nik can continue.

“....Shut up. How long are you gonna be here for?”

“Just the day,” Brad says and he’s sure he can hear Nik grinning on the other line. He can picture it. Vividly. He wiggles his feet under the blanket. “So is that okay? Or do you already have plans, cause I can always come out la--”

“Nothat’sfine,” Nik says, probably a little faster than he had intended. He clears his throat again. “I’m excited. I’m sad we didn’t get to see each other much when you played here last. And I was kinda grumpy.”

“You’re always kind of grumpy. You’re kind of a grumpy old man, Nik. Even though you’re a few decades from being actually old.”

He can hear Nik grumbling inaudibly in the background, and all he wants to do is be there. In Detroit. With Nik. Just hanging out and getting coffee and listening to Nik complain about this and that. It’s weird, just the little, every-day things that make you feel the most sentimental about a person or a place you spent a lot of time with.

And...

“Anyway,” Brad says, rubbing his hand over his chin. He needs to shave. He always seems to need to shave, even right after he shaves. Maybe he will today. Later. “I’m buying the tickets today. I’ll see you, right? At the airport?”

“At nine.”

“At ten, Nik. Ten.”

==

It’s weird what is sentimental to a person, what brings back memories and give you the strongest feelings. And deciding what to bring back for your visit to see your friend is a crash course in that.

Brad scowls down at the clothes in his dresser. He’d bought those ones over there while he lived in Detroit. That’s the one he wore when he and Nik first hung out outside of the rink. And that was the pair of jeans he’d been wearing when they got drunk in Nik’s living room that one time a month after he first landed in Detroit. Nik had been wearing that one white polo shirt. That damn white Lacoste polo he always had on.

It didn’t fit him right. Most of Nik’s shirts didn’t fit him right. He’d been bitching about that, and yet wore it all the time. He’d been complaining about it so much that Brad had finally grabbed him into a hug and pulled the damn thing off of him. That’s when Nik had yanked him down onto the couch and they didn’t get off for the next couple of hours.

Brad shakes his head, forcefully pushing his dresser drawer shut. He’ll wear something new. Something he bought since he went back to San Jose. Nothing old. Nothing that had memories attached to it. Because if these clothes were pulling out sentimental memories for him, _surely_ they would for Nik. Nik did that kind of stuff. Nik did that kind of stuff a lot.

And if Nik starts getting sentimental feelings, Nik will start doing things and Brad doesn’t trust himself when Nik starts doing _things._


End file.
